Communication Activities Research Articles

Hate-Speech Bans are at Odds with Central Principles of Liberalism

AbstractIn line with my 2021 book Freedom of Expression as Self-Restraint – albeit in a much shorter compass – this essay will argue against the moral defensibility of hate-speech laws like those in the United Kingdom and Canada and the Antipodes and most countries of western Europe. Such laws contravene the moral principle of freedom of expression, and therefore contravene one of the central precepts of liberal democracy. Under that principle, a necessary condition for the moral permissibility of any law that proscribes some type or instance of communicative activity is that the activity in question is constitutive of serious communication-independent wrongdoing. Given the centrality of the notion of communication-independent wrongdoing to the principle of freedom of expression, we should begin here with an explication of that notion.

La sostenibilidad como valor de marca en la publicidad automotriz de España

Introduction: Climate change and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have driven companies, including the automotive industry, to embrace sustainability as a fundamental part of their communication strategy. Purpose: The main objective of this study is to analyze sustainability as a brand value in digital advertising in the Spanish automotive industry. Methodology: This research follows a triangular methodology combining interviews, surveys, and analysis of advertising content to explore how experts and consumers perceive this trend, considering their gender and age. Findings: The result of this work shows that sustainability is increasingly influencing purchasing decisions, but there is a disconnect between what advertising conveys and what users value. Brands still prioritize design and price over sustainability, having to progressively adjust their messaging to better reflect the ecological and social concerns that audiences have. Originality/value: The contribution focuses on two paths: firstly, to fill an academic gap in terms of studies focused on the specific communication actions carried out by the automotive sector in Spain, and secondly, to demonstrate that sustainability has not entered as a brand value that forces higher sales.

The Effectiveness of Teacher-Student Interaction in the English as a Foreign Language Classroom

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of teacher-student interaction in promoting authentic L2 classroom discourse. Classroom discourse is a major part of instruction that promotes speaking and develops students and teachers’ conversational skills. It constitutes a significant factor in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, as it promotes communicative activities (reception, production, interaction, mediation) fundamental to L2 learning. A common exchange pattern used extensively in classroom discourse is the Initiation, Response, Feedback (IRF) model, by Sinclair and Coulthard, (1975, 1992), in which the teacher initiates (I) an exchange through questioning the whole class or one single student, the student responds (R) to the question, and then the teacher gives feedback (F). A qualitative case study approach was adopted. Twenty-seven EFL high school classrooms in Israel were observed. Research instruments were: classroom observation forms, filled by the researcher, where instances of IRF exchanges were marked; and semi-structured interviews with seven of the teachers observed to obtain information regarding their use of L1 in IRF exchanges. Findings show that teachers use the IRF exchange model to organize talk and follow basic turn taking rules. However, deviations from common IRF exchanges result in (1) imbalance of dominance between teacher and student talk time; (2) excessive use of L1 in exchanges, minimizing students’ exposure to L2; and (3) limited flow of teacher-student spoken communication and lack of student willingness to participate in the lesson. Practical implications for teacher educators will be discussed.

NĂNG LỰC HIỆN TẠI, THÁCH THỨC VÀ NHU CẦU NÂNG CAO NĂNG LỰC CỦA CÁN BỘ KHUYẾN NÔNG TRONG BỐI CẢNH BIẾN ĐỔI KHÍ HẬU TẠI TỈNH BẮC KẠN

This study aims to assess the current capacity, challenges and needs of capacity building of agricultural extension workers in Bac Kan province under the context of climate change. The research was conducted during 2021-2022, using semi-structured questionnaires for face-to-face interviews with 17 leaders and 59 staff members of agricultural extension agencies in the province. Results show that the agricultural extension workforce of Bac Kan province has advantages in terms of qualifications and work experience. Nonetheless, they also encountered a number of challenges under the context of increasingly changing environment. These include: (1) passivity in guiding production and technical transfer activities, (2) difficulties in pest and disease forecast and management, (3) increased workload; and (4) their communication and/or community outreach activities face many challenges, especially in localities with ethnic minorities, scattered housing locations, and difficult travel access. Most of the agricultural extension workers have not been trained in both agricultural extension methods and climate change adaptation. Technical climate-resilient production manuals (for both crops and livestock), effective communication methods and information sharing networks among agricultural extension officers were considered the main learning resources that they desired to be equipped to effectively carry out their tasks under the context of climate change.

Communicating science across different cultures — a reflection on the PCST Suzhou Symposium 2024

The symposium occurred from 17–19 October 2024 in Suzhou, China, a city famous for its long history and rich culture and often called “the heaven on Earth”. The 230 delegates from 26 countries spent two insightful days immersed in the world of science communication. The event highlighted that Chinese policymakers and research leaders are taking science communication and science literacy seriously. In his opening speech, Professor Yanhao Xu, Vice Chairman of the National Education, Science, Health and Sports Committee, recalled that China has a special law on science popularisation that recognises science communication as of equal importance to technological innovation. This also means that suitable communication activities must accompany every major Chinese scientific initiative.

Traffic Awareness-Based Target Wake Time Scheduling in 802.11ax WLANs

In recent years, the rapid growth of mobile communication has led to the continuous expansion of network scale, and the energy consumption of wireless communication has also increased rapidly. Under the high-density networking conditions, frequent communication activities greatly increase the energy consumption. In order to reduce channel competition, optimize resource scheduling and reduce equipment power consumption, the target wake-up time (TWT) mechanism in IEEE 802.11ax system plays an important role through timely scheduling and transmission. To improve channel efficiency for multi-user (MU) transmission and tackle with complicated traffic conditions, this paper presents a traffic awareness-based TWT scheduling scheme (TAT). The traffic is predicted and classified using a spatio-temporal series model for traffic-based TWT parameter generation. Subsequently, the time–frequency scheduling table is developed to adaptively assign Resource Units (RUs) and time slices to active STAs. Simulation results show that TAT can guarantee the Quality of Service (QoS) under dynamic changes in power service and delay requirements while reducing power consumption, effectively meeting the energy-saving demands in the intelligent access scenarios for power terminals.

The Reaction Object Construction in the Leech and Short’s model: A new strategy of discourse presentation in the nineteenth-century novel

ABSTRACT Discourse presentation in the history of English has recently caught the attention of a number of studies. This paper aims to contribute to this area of research by making the case of the Reaction Object Construction or ROC (e.g. He shouted his excitement to come back) as another option used by narrators to frame and evaluate the speech/thought they represent in nineteenth-century sentimental novels. On the basis of data from the British Sentimental Novel Corpus, it will be argued that the ROC constitutes an emerging fully fledged subcategory within the Leech and Short’s model of discourse presentation constructions. The ROC fits in within their category Narrative Report of Speech/Thought Acts (NRS/TAs); the difference between the ROC and a prototypical NRS/TA is that the ROC is closer to the original act of communication that is being reported as it always conveys via a descriptive verb and an emotional object the illocutionary force (attitude) of the speaker’s utterance. The more than 500 ROC examples attested also confirm the tight connection between the ROC and the British sentimental novel, and reveal an array of meaningful stylistic, and socio-pragmatic motivations in the use of the nineteenth-century ROC.

Strategic authenticity in the promotion of a protest action on social media: the case of the School Strike 4 Climate in Sydney

ABSTRACT Protest organisers around the world are increasingly trying to pressure governments to act on climate change. Young people have been at the forefront of the mobilisation to raise awareness about the issue and to call for change. Student movements across the globe are redefining the political through innovative and creative actions. I focus on one of these actions with a case study of how young people from the School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) movement in Sydney use social media to promote a protest event. In doing so, I propose the concept of ‘strategic authenticity’ to define the balance between professional communication and authenticity in young peoples’ communicative action online. Such a balance is achieved by melding well-crafted content with humour and references to popularity and internet culture. Studying students’ practices of ‘strategic authenticity’ contributes to deepening our understanding of democratic renewal and young people’s political engagement in the context of the climate change movement.

THE PHENOMENON OF AGGRESSION IN LANGUAGE: THE PROBLEM OF TERMINOLOGY

The article highlights the main approaches to describing aggression in language. The polyphonic status of speech aggression is associated with the interdisciplinarity of this phenomenon and is explained by the widespread spread of aggression in modern speech practice. The purpose of this article is to present and compare the approaches available in language to the study of aggression and the definition of aggression within the framework of a linguocognitive approach. The directions of scientific linguistic thought in the study of aggression are described and its typological differences are established, which serve as the basis for conceptual approaches to classifying its types. The typology of verbal aggression in the works of Russian researchers in the following areas is considered: 1) speech act, 2) form of speech behaviour, 3) communicative strategy, 4) speech (communicative) action. It is established that verbal aggression includes not only the known means of its verbalisation, but also all possible conditions of the communicative space, the specifics of the discourse in which it is represented, the state and status of communicants. This is due to a comprehensive approach to understanding verbal aggression, which consists in harming the addressee or the object of speech. Choosing an aggressive form of speech behaviour, the speaker performs two functions: adaptation or protection. These functions of human aggression determine its existence in different types of discourse, determine the forms of its verbalisation.

Law, Culture and Language: Challenges in Legal Term Translation from the Perspective of Comparative Legal Culture

As a cross-cultural communication activity, legal translation inevitably involves law, culture and language. The accurate translation of legal terms plays a crucial role in facilitating the exchange between different legal cultures. Cultural factors, including language, legal systems, legal institutional structures and legal mindsets, have a major impact on legal translation. Failure to capture the discrepancies between different legal cultures causes errors in the translation of legal terms. To achieve optimal translation effects, translators not only need to possess a high level of language proficiency but also have a deep understanding of different legal systems and cultures. From the perspective of comparative legal culture, this paper analyzes how cultural factors influence the translation of legal terminology between Chinese and English and proposes corresponding translation strategies. When there are equivalent concepts in both the source and target legal systems, translators should employ corresponding legal equivalents in the translation. In cases where such equivalents are absent, translators may employ paraphrasing techniques or coin new terms to convey the intended meaning.

DKK1+ tumor cells inhibited the infiltration of CCL19+ fibroblasts and plasma cells contributing to worse immunotherapy response in hepatocellular carcinoma

Intra-tumor immune infiltration plays a pivotal role in the interaction with tumor cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its phenotype and related spatial structure remained elusive. To address these limitations, we conducted a comprehensive study combining spatial data (38,191 spots from eight samples) and single-cell data (56,022 cells from 20 samples). Our analysis revealed two distinct infiltration patterns: immune exclusion and immune activation. Plasma cells emerged as the primary cell type within intra-tumor immune clusters. Notably, we observed the co-location of CCL19+ fibroblasts with plasma cells, which secrete chemokines and promote T-cell activation and leukocyte migration. Conversely, in immune-exclusion samples, this co-location was primarily observed in the adjacent normal area. This co-localization correlated with T cell infiltration and the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures, validated by multiplex immunofluorescence conducted on twenty HCC samples. Both CCL19+ fibroblasts and plasma cells were associated with favorable survival outcomes. In an immunotherapy cohort, HCC patients who responded favorably exhibited higher infiltration of CCL19+ fibroblasts and plasma cells. Additionally, we observed the accumulation of DKK1+ tumor cells within the tumor area in immune-exclusion samples, particularly at the tumor boundary, which inhibited the infiltration of CCL19+ fibroblasts and plasma cells into the tumor area. Furthermore, in immune-exclusion samples, the SPP1 signaling pathway demonstrated the highest activity in communication between tumor and immune clusters, and CCL19-CCR7 played a pivotal role in the self-communication of immune clusters. This study elucidates immune exclusion and immune activation patterns in HCC and identifies relevant factors contributing to immune resistance.

Giving Consent

Abstract By giving consent, we sometimes give permission or make it the case that we are not wronged. What does it take for an act to be an act of consent? This is the question this paper deals with. The question does not presuppose the view that consent is a communicative act. For those who take it as a mental state, the question is what does it take to express consent? It will be argued that an act is an act of consent if and only if the consent-giver believes she gives someone permission to do or omit something by performing the act. A normative intention is not required for consent. It is further argued that this view also bears on the question of what falls within the scope of consent and shows how it differs from the evidential account advocated by Tom Dougherty. I also argue that the view defended in this paper does not imply – as some think – that the consent-receiver could wrong the consent-giver without being able to know that this is the case.

Aspiring and Deprecating Female Influencers: Communicative Capitalism and the Positioning of Women Entrepreneurs

Given the relative ease of joining an e-commerce market via social media platforms, expectations have risen about the role of communication technology and social networks in advancing gender equality in economic participation. South Korean women influencers, in particular, are selling various items using their popularity on social networks. They represent themselves as successful, passionate, gorgeous businesswomen with glamorous lifestyles. These individual influencers exemplify neoliberal ideals, branding and marketing themselves as independent and autonomous creators able to fashion their own destinies in the endless competition of the market. Recently however, heated deinfluencing trends against them have grown in strength and intensity, deprecating these women as nonprofessional, mass-deceptive online vendors. It has become common to describe them with the derogatory term “palyi people.” Against this backdrop, the current study questions the ability of digitalized online technology to empower women coming along with the ideas of neoliberalism and postfeminism. Using the concept of communicative capitalism, this study will analyze the images and texts created and circulated within the social media sphere by six popular female influencers and their followers. Through this data, this study aims to grasp how the free communicative activities of female influencers and their followers on social media negatively position women entrepreneurs in the techno-cultural era.

El efecto tabla redonda comunicación y política pública

The construction of public policy, in addition to political action, is communicative action. As a mechanism that complies with and gives dynamism to the principle of publicity and as an exercise in public communication that admits agreements, consensuses and commitments, it organizes and gives character to citizen participation. The “round table” effect uses metaphor to refer to the kind of broad, horizontal and inclusive conversation that this democratic exercise requires, both in public deliberation and in direct spaces of participation.

Desafios e aprendizados da comunicação pública na pandemia de COVID-19: o caso de uma instituição do Estado Português

This is a qualitative case study on the communication actions of the Portuguese state expressed in initiatives of Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA, Portuguese Ministry of Health) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (from 2020 to 2022). Its exploratory research employed documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews indicates how communication practices carried out in the context of infodemic and disinfodemic addressed this scientific institution with other public instances and the civil society and advanced public communication of science guided toward dialogue and the strengthening of citizenship.

El Desarrollo de la habilidad oral en estudiantes de Telesecundaria

Learning a second language is nowadays a necessity. It enables people from different mother tongues to establish a common ground for communicating. Particularly, for teenager students whose first language is Spanish, it has been a recurrent difficulty to articulate an understandable and purposefully oral speech in English as a lingua franca. Therefore, it was necessary to analyse the nature of the factors that hinder Telesecundaria students speaking skill development through a descriptive case study. 19 second grade students were surveyed, interviewed and observed to describe their opinions about the influence it had the socio-affective elements present in classroom learning environment where speaking activities are performed. Results revealed that a supporting learning environment enhanced students speaking skill development. Such environment required teachers to provide communicative activities and authentic teaching materials through which students can practice controlled speech. Such kind of discourse allowed students to experience low anxiety levels. Furthermore, a classroom environment that promotes trust and support will allow students to feel confident to speak in public in English. In conclusion, a supportive learning environment characterized by controlled speaking tasks that employs real-life material will allow Telesecundaria students to develop their speaking skills.

Motions in Pictures: From Habermas’s Informal Political Sphere to Formal Politics in the Films Footloose, Land and Freedom and The Beguiled

This article analyses three historical fiction films, Footloose, Land and Freedom and The Beguiled, to help illuminate aspects of politics and political theory. We study them to explore the relationship between Habermas’s concepts of the lifeworld and political spheres, which analysts have critiqued as opaque. Drawing on Habermas’s theory of communicative action, we debate prevailing understandings of the implications of his work for deliberative democracy via an exploration of the films. By expanding the definition of the term ‘motion’ (otherwise known as ‘draft resolution’), we relate this concept to these Habermasian themes. Thus, this paper analyses feature film case studies as they incorporate motions into fictionalised accounts. We suggest that focusing on these movies’ motions, embedded in unfolding narratives, can help reconceive Habermas’s work to illustrate fluidity in how people and ideas may move between informal and more formal spheres. Ultimately, by showcasing the importance of motions in political participation, via these movies, we advance the idea that motions may be seen as part of a ladder of involvement, providing further opportunities for encouraging participation.

Developing a smartphone web app to help DWI offenders and their families

IntroductionDriving while intoxicated (DWI) results in significant morbidity and mortality. Ignition interlock devices (IID) decrease the risk of drinking and driving while installed, but DWI rates increase after the IID is removed. Efforts are needed to maintain change after the IID is removed; engaging concerned family members (CFMs) is an untested strategy. Smartphones may provide a promising platform to support DWI offenders with IIDs and their CFMs; the purpose of the present study was to develop such a smartphone-web app. MethodsFormative work occurred in two sequential phases. Phase 1 included key informant interviews with DWI offenders and CFMs, development of one app module, and usability testing. Phase 2 included focus groups with DWI offenders and CFMs, development of three more app modules, and usability testing. The Bangor System Usability Scale was used to rate app usability and navigability. ResultsResults of key informants and focus groups indicated that offenders and CFMs lacked information and were frustrated by the IID, experienced financial burden from the DWI and IID, viewed supportive communication and positive shared activities as important, and were positive about the app. Four modules were developed, Life with Interlock, Supporting Changes in Drinking, Doing Things Together, and Effective Communication. Usability testing indicated that the B-SMART modules were easy to use and informative. ConclusionsCareful formative work resulted in an app responsive to the concerns of DWI offenders with IIDs and their CFMs. Controlled research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of the app.

Effects of speech tracking method using hearing aids for hearing disorder in older people.

Speech tracking is defined as a complex act or task of listening in which the learner tracks the speech heard and repeats it as accurately as possible while paying attention to incoming contextual information. This ability involves auditory input, speech output, repetition, and divided attention. In this small-scale study, we aimed to use a speech-tracking method to train older adults with hearing loss and examine its effects on hearing loss from multiple perspectives, including hearing handicap, frailty, and neuropsychological testing. Auditory rehabilitation was provided to older patients who purchased hearing aids at the clinic and wanted to engage in rehabilitation. The Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, Nursing Home Hearing Handicap Index, speech-tracking rate, Token Test, Communication Activities of Daily Living, Kihon Checklist, Mini-Mental State Examination, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, symbol search, and word recall were used for assessments before and after rehabilitation using the speech-tracking method. Changes in scores of each assessment item and sub-item were examined using Wilcoxon's signed-rank test, and changes per question were examined using the sign test. The speech tracking rate (p<0.001), Token Test score (p<0.001), and Mini-Mental State Examination score (p=0.035) improved significantly after the training. Notably, the speech-tracking rate improved for 31 of the 33 participants, with a maximum increase of 19.6 phrases per minute. The combination of a hearing aid and the speech-tracking method improved auditory comprehension.

The study of newly-qualified teachers’ psychological well-being and personal reflection

Introduction. The article examines the peculiarities of psychological well-being and satisfaction with the profession of novice teachers in connection with personal reflection. The purpose of the study is to reveal the specifics of psychological well-being and personal reflection of teachers at the initial stage of professional development. Materials and Methods. The study follows a systematic approach and the concept of psychological well-being (K Riff). In order to achieve the purpose of the research, the authors used theoretical (analysis, comparison, generalization, systematization) and empirical (tests) methods, as well as methods of statistical information processing. To collect relevant data, the methods were presented by means of a Google form via an online resource. The research sample consisted of 162 newly-qualified teachers from Omsk and the Omsk region whose work experience ranged between 6 months and 5 years. Results. The authors of the article obtained the following results: - analyzed and summarized Russian and international research investigations on issues of psychological well-being, the level of development of reflection and novice teachers satisfaction with their profession; - the empirical results of the study are presented, which reflect the priority indicators of psychological well-being, the level and types of personal reflection, the level of satisfaction with the professional development of newly-qualified teachers; the specifics of psychological well-being and personal reflection of teachers are revealed, the types of teachers at the initial stage of professional development are described. Conclusions. The specifics of psychological well-being and personal reflection of novice teachers are determined by difficulties in managing the environment, building interaction with colleagues and self-acceptance, readiness for personal growth and autonomy, and there is also insufficient development of reflection skills, in particular, reflection on communication and real activity, which affects satisfaction with professional activities. The types of novice teachers have been identified depending on the specifics of psychological well-being, the level of development and type of personal reflection, and satisfaction with profession.